


Just Your Average Thanksgiving Dinner

by Never_Give_In



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Absent Parents, Avocado Dad (Trollhunters), Best Friends, Crack Treated Seriously, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family Drama, Family Secrets, Father-Son Relationship, Future Fic, Gen, Interspecies Romance, Jim is a Little Shit, Magic, Magical Tattoos, Meet the Family, Merlin is a Little Shit, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Not Beta Read, Parent Blinky (Trollhunters), Post-Canon, Post-Season 3 (Trollhunters), Protective Jim, Protective Parents, Protectiveness, Random & Short, Slow To Update, Sorceresses, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Teen Romance, Thanksgiving Dinner, Troll Jim Lake Jr.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-07-31 10:40:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20113768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Give_In/pseuds/Never_Give_In
Summary: So Jim's grandparents want to come down for Thanksgiving dinner. No harm, no foul, right?Except that Jim isn't exactly human anymore, nor is half of his dysfunctional family, Claire can't exactly hide her magic, NotEnrique just wants some socks, and Merlin is trying his best but just makes things worse.Just another average Thanksgiving holiday with another average family in another average town.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so this is the first Trollhunters fic I've gotten beyond a page and actually published as well as started to develop plot out of, altho this is more of crack and guilty pleasure than actual fic writing if im being honest. updates will be few, given this story shouldnt pan out more than a few chapters but given my new job and school starting in little over two weeks, i have no idea when ill update again so for now please enjoy and please comment so i know how yall like it
> 
> oh and theres a lot of wishy washy wizard and magic stuff in here so just take it with a grain of salt please its just my silly headcanons that arent gonna happen in wizards no matter my hopes

Jim woke up to a mouth full of hair. His eyes were still not fully opened, just fluttering, but his free hand moved up to brush the strands out of his mouth and face. Groggily, his eyes opened enough to see a head resting on his chest, white hair splayed out like a dented halo.

Smiling gently, Jim found himself cautiously tightening his grip on Claire’s torso, tugging her close as the white-haired teen snuggled closer into her boyfriend’s touch. Her face wasn’t visible, covered by her hair, but Jim let out a breathy laugh anyway, letting his free hand card through her currently lengthy locks.

For almost six months Jim woke up every night to such a view, one that slowly shifted over time as Claire took an apprenticeship under Merlin once they had arrived in Hoboken. The old wizard sought to help control and guide her magic in a way that wouldn’t hinder her growth or cause any issues to New Trollmarket as a whole. As a result, as her time under Merlin’s tutelage grew, so did the white streak she gained after her first huge use of magic. Within two months, Claire’s hair had grown to reach just past her shoulders and became streaked almost entirely in the stark white which was only sparsely shadowed by her original mocha brown.

Jim shifted as carefully as he could to not wake his girlfriend, his soft eyes glancing down to what was visible of her hands and arms. His stone fingers ghosted the exotic looking markings running down her slightly shimmery skin, markings that appeared the more Claire used her own magic. A small panic had ensued when the markings first appeared, but Merlin had explained them simply as a manifestation of her powers- “It’s typical of those with biologically latent magic, as rare as that occurrence is. Fair Claire has magic far back in her ancestry, and her markings are unique identifiers of her power.”

The markings were a mix of Trollish and Old Magick runes, a language all but dead after the destruction of Camelot and Avalon except for Merlin’s miraculous survival. They ran down both of Claire’s arms, runes delicately intertwined with abstract swirls and flows that extended to thread between her fingers and gather on her palms in delicate patterns. A more recent addition was one Jim couldn’t currently see, as it rested on Claire’s face: filigree and almost unnoticeable runes that framed her eyes, starting near her temples and tracing her cheeks on either side; a far more elegant and preferable version of the cracks that formed after overuse of the Skathe-Hrün.

All of Claire’s markings were just another aspect of her beauty to Jim, even though she became subject to a panic when realizing what her parents might think; neither her nor Jim had had the time to sit down and video chat with anyone, and as the gyre was still a good week or two from completion, in-person visits were still out of the question. Which kind of sucked with Thanksgiving coming up in little over two weeks, since plans were already set for the couple, Merlin, and Blinky to travel back to Arcadia for the occasion.

“Jim…?”

Startled, Jim cast his eyes down at Claire as she lifted her head, brown eyes still glassy with sleep. Her facial markings shone with a faint silver light, as did those on her arms and hands, just as they did every time the teen used her magic or saw her boyfriend.

It never ceased to make Jim smile.

  
“Hey, mi amor,” Jim greeted, sitting up in their bed just enough to set Claire on his lap as she yawned. “Did you sleep well?”

Claire smiled at him, blinking away her sleep bit by bit. “Always.”

With that, she leaned forward and nuzzled his cheek, then gently placed a kiss on his lips. The ritual had become routine now, but the road had been long while trekking to New Jersey, Jim’s troll instincts driving him to be overprotective of her at any given moment in addition to nuzzling her every time they shared a moment of privacy. To say it was embarrassing was an understatement, but Claire, bless her, had taken it in stride while being understandingly hesitant until they both became more comfortable with his instincts.

Now, all those months later, it came as easy as breathing.

Jim purred (another strange troll thing) at her touch and hugged her close, enjoying the vibration and sound of her laughter as Claire moved her hands to ghost over his horns. The horns were surprisingly sensitive when anyone else touched them, but with Claire she would often rest her head atop his, riding piggyback while gently grasping his horns in her hands. Her touch never bothered them.

The peace and quiet of their morning (technically evening, given the times trolls were active) remained uninterrupted for a few moments more, the sorceress in training and her half-troll lazily hugging and kissing in bliss until Jim’s phone rang, the Gun Robot ringtone a stark contrast to the previously silent air.

Claire rolled off of him with ease, disentangling her hand from her own hair before reaching for the alcove dug into the rock wall where electricity had been run through, allowing for a place to rest their phones. Jim’s was bigger than hers, and had been modified magically by both herself and Merlin so that he wouldn’t break it as easily.

Claire squinted at the bright screen, her mind not fully registering the contact name for a full five seconds.

“It’s your mom!” She exclaimed once she finally recognized the photo and name, handing the phone to Jim with a grin that matched his own.

Habitually, Jim put the call on speaker, before greeting his mom. Deya, he missed her.

“Hey, Mom!”

“Hi, Barbara!” Claire chimed in, a giggle erupting at Jim’s blue eyes shining with joy.

_ “Jim, Claire, hi, how are you two doing? I’m sorry I haven’t called in a while, hospital’s been slammed with Halloween and a couple goblin attacks.” _

Her voice sounded strained, and Jim knew from Claire’s frown he wasn’t the only one to notice.

“We’re fine, Mom. Nothing too bad’s happened here, besides settling a few internal disputes. Gyre’s almost up and running, too; Dad said it should be good before Thanksgiving.” Jim ignored the fond look Claire was giving him whenever he referred to Blinky as his dad, forcing down the blush that wouldn’t show on his stone skin anyway.

_ “Good.” _ Barbara swallowed, and Jim imagined her nodding as she did. _ “That’s… good.” _

“You okay, Barbara?” Claire took the plunge before Jim could. “You sound stressed.”

_ “That’s one way of putting it,” _ she responded, and sighed before she elaborated. _ “Jim, honey, a slight change of plans for Thanksgiving.” _

“Slight?”

_ “Um, Grandma and Grandpa called earlier and after all the news coverage of the supposed earthquakes-” _ Jim grimaced at the mention of the news cover story of what had become Arcadia’s collective ruse of Gunmar and Morgana’s attack. Just a really really bad earthquake. 7.2 on the Richter scale, but still. _ “-they were worried and apparently have decided to come down for Thanksgiving.” _

Jim blinked, and subconsciously he could feel a growl rising in his throat, but felt it putter out when Claire set her hand on his arm. He looked up and saw her markings lit up with the familiar silver glow which reflected in her shining eyes and seemed to make her skin glow ethereally too, another side effect of her magic. The magic she sent through her touch settled warmly in his chest, and Jim sent her a grateful smile.

“When are they coming down?” Claire questioned, her voice somehow steady.

_ “Thanksgiving is on the twenty-eighth this year, so they’re coming down a week early. The twenty-first. I just… they wouldn’t let me get a word in! Jim, they don’t even know you’re not in Arcadia anymore- let alone…” _

Barbara sighed, and the couple mentally filled in her words.

“That I’m a troll,” Jim finished, sighing just as heavily as his mother. “This is…” He sighed again, then glanced at Claire who seemed to be thinking along the same lines as him. “Mom, Claire and I might have an idea but we’ll have to see if it works first. But if it does, we might be able to come back sooner. It’d be a little risky but… without the gyre…”

There was a momentary pause before Barbara spoke again.

_ “Wait, do you mean…? Claire, you are _ not _ opening a portal across the country!” _

“Barbara, it’s okay. I’ve been training with Merlin, I’ve got a pretty good handle on things now.” Her brown eyes met Jim’s, and he could read the confidence and shielded worry in them. “Plus, the old wizard could help me since he was going to come with us anyway.”

_ “And Blinky?” _

“Probably not going to come until the gyre’s ready,” Jim cut in, jaw clenched. “He can’t leave New Trollmarket for any longer than he has to, and a week was already cutting it close.”

Barbara sighed for what seemed the thousandth time. _ “How soon are you coming?” _

Jim’s hand grabbed Claire’s, silently conveying that the decision was hers. She’d be the one who’d be facing her parents with a new face this time.

“Um, probably tonight?” Claire guessed, shrugging a shoulder. “We’d need to arrange some things here in New Trollmarket and make sure Merlin can leave, plus it’d be safer to leave within the next few hours, after sunset in Arcadia so Jim isn’t caught in it if the portal goes awry.”

_ “Okay. But please be careful, okay? The both of you. It’s been months since anyone’s seen you here and I dread the thought of you getting hurt before anyone can. Oh, and tell that wizard to hold his tongue, would you? Still wonder what I was thinking when I invited him…” _

The last part was mumbled, and caused Jim to laugh as Claire offered her assurances.

“We’ll see you soon, Barbara. Stay safe.”

Jim grinned, and took the phone off speaker, standing up to get a bit more privacy.

“Hey, Mom, just me now. You’re off speaker. I… I really miss you, Mom, I can’t wait to see you.”

  
His mom let out what sounded like a choked sob or perhaps a laugh. _ “Not more than I miss you kiddo. I can’t wait to hug you again.”_

* * *

Three hours later, Jim, Claire, and Merlin stood gathered in Blinky’s hovel, close to the Heartstone in a way reminiscent of Vendel’s. The four-armed troll was pacing without abandon, his annoyance palpable in the way his shoulders tensed and his hands ground against each other.

“Blink, we’ll be fine,” Jim stated again, stepping closer to his father. “Seriously, it’s not like it’s the end of the world!”

“No, Master Jim, you are correct, but I fear with Arcadia already acclimated with our world, your transformation may not last very long as a secret. Your grandparents live in San Jose, correct? What is to say they will not leak our existence to the world at large and send every government and scientific organization racing to both Arcadia and our present location?”

Jim let out a fond yet exasperated sigh. As much as he loved Blinky, the troll could be overly paranoid, if not with good reason.

“Blinky, he’s got all of Arcadia at his back,” Claire interjected, moving to stand before Blinky before he eroded the rock floor, “plus Merlin and I will be with him. We’ll all be safe, and I’m sure with a little explanation we can get Arcadia to act like everything is normal. Just for the week.”

Blinky hummed, his six-eyed gaze flicking back to his adopted son. “And just what is this plan of yours to appear human? Merlin’s enchantments do not work, at least not well enough for such a long time and-”

Jim just reached into one of Claire’s bags, which was swung over his shoulder, and produced a wooden mask.

“Master Jim you can’t be-”

“It’s the only choice,” Jim said quietly, weighing the glamor mask in his hand. It felt much heavier than it should.

Without another word by anyone in the party, Jim closed his eyes and slipped on the mask, grimacing at the white flash and stifled intake of breath he heard. Cautiously opening his eyes, Jim found himself looking down at two five-fingered, pale-skinned, _ human _hands. Moving his gaze around the room, he took in Merlin’s silent frown, Blinky’s poorly hidden remorse, and Claire’s wide eyes.

“Okay, why is everyone looking at me like I’m crazy?” Jim’s eyes widened at the sound of his voice, which sounded like it had before the grave sand and Merlin’s potion each altered it in their own way. “Oh.”

Claire moved forward, her wide brown eyes never leaving his figure as she waved a hand, silver and lavender wisps appearing as she summoned a mirror. Jim blinked, slightly stunned at seeing his old face staring back at him. Old skin, old nose, old smile. Even his old hair, now appearing the full ebony it had been, fluffy and soft, instead of so blue it looked black and the more coarse texture.

It made him feel uncomfortable, and suddenly made him understand why Claire was so put off.

“This is weird,” he muttered, running a hand over his head where his horns had been. “Also, why do I still look sixteen?”

“Glamor masks can only imitate what lies in memory,” Merlin explained, speaking for the first time since they’d arrived. “They cannot shape what you would have looked like now if you were still human, because no such memory exists. With the mask in place, you can only look as old as you were before.”

“So this is a one-time thing?” Jim asked, unable to turn his gaze from his reflection. “Because I’m sure they’d notice if I just stopped growing.”

Merlin huffed. “With some tweaking, I may be able to alter the enchantment so that it grows with you, but the magic would be terribly unstable. Glamor masks are already delicate enough on their own.”

Jim didn’t reply as he removed the mask, feeling a little discombobulated at the sudden height jump as his true form stared back in the mirror. Wild hair, grey horns, blue skin. Yet his eyes stayed the same, no matter the species.

Claire waved away the mirror, the tension running out of her body at seeing Jim normal again, despite the physical oxymoron the thought caused. How strange that Jim’s weird had become human while his normal had become troll.

“See, he’ll be fine,” she said, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. “It’ll be weird for all of us, but when his grandparents aren’t in the room he can go back to normal.”

Jim stepped up to Blinky, seeing the concern still swimming in the troll’s many eyes. “Dad, we’ll be fine. It’s only two weeks, and I’ll call every night. Besides, you’re still coming as soon as the gyre’s done, right?”

Blinky sighed but allowed a small grin to tug his stone lips. “Of course I am. And I’m sorry I worry so much, but…”

“You’re my dad,” Jim finished with a growing smile. “It’s your job.”

Blinky returned the smile, tugging his laughing son into a final embrace. “A job I will be sure to never fall lax with.”

The father and son stayed in their embrace for a full minute before Merlin intervened, a sole white brow raised in annoyance.

“This is all very sweet but if we hope to be settled in Arcadia before daylight I suggest we get a move on.”

“It’s eleven here, Merlin,” Claire replied with a roll of her eyes before closing them and raising a hand. “Arcadia just had their sunset- we’ll be fine.”

The wizard grunted, settling for watching his apprentice as her tattoos glowed ethereally as a portal sprung to life before her, swirling silver with dark purple highlights.

Jim stepped back to pick up his and Claire’s bags, Merlin begrudgingly electing to carry his own. With a final glance at Blinky, the couple stood hand in hand with Merlin watching impatiently.

“Be safe, Blinky!” Claire said, sending him a kiss and a wave as Jim sent him a confident smile.

“We’ll call if anything happens- promise.” Then they marched forward to the portal, Jim sending a glance back at his dad. “Love you, Dad.”

The trio disappeared into the portal, swirling silver and purple fading with an inaudible pop, leaving Blinky standing in his home alone.

“I love you too, son.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can i just... wow. i just wow, the reaction to this is astounding, srsly. 13 comments and over 200 hits just on the first chapter? holy crap guys thank you so much! every comment just made my day better and better- nothing is more enlightening than going on break at work and checking your email to so many notifs its really awesome i love you all
> 
> so without further ado i know i said updates will be few but i already had this mostly typed up and figured the initial responsedeserved some reward so here's an early update- that being said this is a longer chapter but not that great (at least imo) and ends a lil awkwardly but the next update will be further out, probably the end of the month at the latest depending on how much school piles on within the first two weeks.
> 
> please comments and subscribe, every voice helps and just makes my day! <3 plz enjoy!

Arriving in Arcadia was weird.

That’s not to say the trio ran into any trouble or complications, no. Claire’s portal landed them in the cul-de-sac of the Domzalski and Lake residences, right in the woods behind one of the homes. It was dark out, given that it was eight o’clock, and every house besides the Lake’s was absent of light. Jim sniffed as soon as Claire’s portal faded away, soaking up the sounds and smells of their hometown. The weird part was being back, and actually realizing what Arcadia was like through the eyes of a troll, given he had no time to roam town before the Eternal Night came to pass.

Claire watched on in amusement as Merlin simply trekked on to the Lake house, having enough mind to avoid the light shining through the downstairs window. She ignored him and focused in on Jim, the half-troll’s eyes closed as he took in Arcadia for the first time in nearly six months.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Jim’s eyes opened, a softness shining in them as he bent his knees a tad to place a kiss on her forehead. “Smells like home.”

Claire giggled in response, running a hand through her long white hair reflexively before she tugged his hand to hers and pulled him on.

“Wait, Claire!”

But his sorceress girlfriend was having none of it as she practically dragged him to his childhood home, only pausing by the door to send Merlin a look then fix Jim’s wrinkled hoodie. The hoodie had been her gift to him once they had arrived in Hoboken, as a result of the amulet finally releasing the armor from him. The resulting ten minutes of Jim standing in tatters of his old clothes were better left forgotten, but Claire had gone into town within the hour and brought back some hoodies and shirts and pants for him to try.

Jim loved the blue one especially, and it didn’t surprise her when he chose to wear it for the trip.

“Ready?” she asked with a slight smile, her hand ghosting his cheek.

With a quick exhale, he nodded, but before either one of them could move to knock on the door, Merlin strode right up and opened it, only briefly pausing to grant them a glance.

“James, your mother really should learn to lock her door.” And with that, he entered the house with Claire and Jim hot on his heels.

The house looked the same as it had months prior, nothing out of place or having been discarded or added. The living room sat vacant, although noise could be heard in the kitchen: Barbara, as well as a few other voices.

“Mom?” Jim called out hesitantly, pausing when all voices in the kitchen suddenly stopped.

A thud sounded, and then Barbara appeared, looking just the same as she had when they left except for her hair being a little longer, a new look that suited her just as it did Claire. She was dressed in her typical scrubs, which meant she had likely been at the hospital not too long ago. Her face lit up at the sight of them both, rushing forward to hug her son, holding him as tightly as she could, then turned to Claire to give the young teen the same treatment.

Barbara turned her gaze again to her son, her eyes trailing his form as if searching for injuries or signs of distress. Jim just laughed and shook his head in amusement.

“We’re not injured, Mom. Claire got us here in one piece.”

Barbara just hummed, nodding her head before actually taking in her son rather than solely through the superficial doctor gaze.

“You got the armor off,” she stated, eyes wide as a smile graced her face. “How long has it been off?”

“It came off once we got to Jersey,” Jim explained, pulling the amulet out of his hoodie pocket for inspection. “Something about my emotional distress finally going away. Haven’t had much use for it outside of training and settling some pub fights.”

With that statement, Barbara relaxed completely, a weight coming off her shoulders. “That’s good.” she said, putting a hand on his face which her son instinctually nuzzled. Then he purred. “That’s new.”

Jim seemed flustered, a sheepish grin on his face as he suddenly pulled away. Claire put a hand on his arm, calming him with a simple look and a warmth from her magic, which drew Barbara’s attention to her.

“Wha-”

“Claire!”

Claire was suddenly swamped by her mom and dad, and stumbled away from Jim in order to catch herself so that she wouldn’t fall. Jim, although fully aware of who it was that tackled her, still felt a growl rising until a heavy hand rested on his shoulder.

Turning his head, Jim was shocked to see Merlin there, the old wizard giving him a bemused look and calming the Trollhunter with a cooler wave of magic that was all his own.

“Calm yourself, James,” he cautioned with a grace that didn’t suit his bored and uninterested face. “It wouldn’t be in your favor to attack my apprentice’s parents.”

Letting himself relax, Jim focused on Claire as her parents pulled away, both talking over each other with their questions. Her smile was wide, but it didn’t reach her eyes which were seeped with anxiety as she waited for the other shoe to drop.

“Honey, what happened to your hair?” Ophelia exclaimed, eyes popping at the sight of her daughter’s nearly fully white head of hair. Then she blinked, a hand coming up to grace Claire’s tattooed face. “And where on _ Earth _did those tattoos come from?”

Claire’s lips teased a small grin despite both her parents’ stunned and concerned looks, although her dad’s also held some awe. With unnatural grace and ease, Claire waved a hand, tracing runes in mid-air that shone like the moon to form a kind of shield before her. The markings framing her face and threading down her arms glowed in response, and her skin held a sort of shimmery tone. The pure relaxation and joy on Claire’s face made Jim chuckle, and the couple locked eyes, Claire’s calm grin twisting into a mischievous smirk.

With a simple flick of her wrist, the runes faded away, and with a fluid motion of her fingers, Claire disappeared in a spray of lavender only to reappear atop Jim’s shoulders, a weight he took in stride as he gazed up at his girlfriend in amusement. Her markings’ glow calmed and smoothed out, still present yet not as noticeable, as Claire settled upon his shoulders and rested her head upon his own, her hands coming up to grasp his horns.

“Incredible,” Javier breathed, eyes filled with the same wonder and amazement from when Jim had shown off his armor all those months ago. “How-”

“Claire what the hell happened to you?” Ophelia interrupted, a hand rising to cover her mouth as her eyes widened in astonishment.

Jim felt Claire shift uneasily and let himself purr to comfort. She relaxed, and in response leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on his forehead before turning her eyes down to look at her parents.

“She’s my new apprentice,” Merlin explained before Claire could get a word out. Ophelia’s furious eyes turned to him, but the wizard didn’t flinch. “Morgana’s possession of Claire all those months ago was enough to awaken the latent magic within her bloodline, thus giving her potential that would never have been realized had she not gained possession of the Skathe-Hrün. Her hair and her markings are solely manifestations of her power, nothing more.”

“And if these… changes are because of her magic, is there not some way you could mask them?” Ophelia asked, her eyes searching as they turned back upon her daughter, who still remained perched on her troll boyfriend’s high shoulders, her head resting easily between his horns. “You turned him into a troll! Surely you can hide a hair color and some tattoos!”

An icy tinge sliced the air, causing Claire’s parents to shiver while Barbara just took a step away from her son, eyes wide as she stared at Claire. The teen’s markings glowed like moonlight on her face and down her eyes, vaguely like the etchings on Jim’s Daylight armor. Claire’s eyes shone with silver and purple light, and her grip tightened on Jim’s horns, just a hair away from discomfort.

“Uh, Claire, mi amor,” Jim spoke up, voice cautious and wary, his face twisting into a frown as her grip tightened again ever so slightly, “maybe you should take a breath. Merlin?”

The old wizard had taken a step forward, hand raised and glowing as if to send Claire to sleep, but a fierce glare from his apprentice made him freeze in hesitation. An angry Claire meant bad things.

The young sorceress’ gaze cut back to her parents, focusing in on her mother with cold fury. “Did you not even consider the fact that I don’t want them masked? That’d be like trying to change my very DNA, Mom, which isn’t possible. Magic’s been in our family for centuries- it just happened to show up in me. You can’t change that; not anymore than we can change the fact that Jim’s part troll.”

Ophelia breathed a heavy sigh, her eyes full of an emotion no one could place. “Claire, I’m just trying to look out for you. You can’t walk around Arcadia looking like this! And what about your future? You wanted to be an actress and now-”

“Now I had a career change,” Claire finished, some of her icy fury dissipating with a roll of her shoulders. “Mom, from the moment I met Jim and found out about trolls I knew nothing was going to be the same, even more so when he came stumbling out of the woods with only half his humanity. This-” Claire raised a hand in front of Jim’s face, her fingers twirling as an orb of light danced between them, the feeling of the magic making Jim’s nose wrinkle. “-wasn’t exactly the abnormal I had planned when I left for Jersey, but that doesn’t mean I can’t not be an actress or have a future. It just means it’ll be a little… different, is all.”

Ophelia blinked, mouth agape as if Claire’s words were blasphemy. Javier gently laid a hand on his wife’s arm, arresting her attention. He just gave Claire a sorry smile before locking eyes with his wife.

“Ophelia, our _princesa_ has been given a great gift,” he said softly, eyes straying to take in his daughter’s facial tattoos and white hair. “Despite whatever changes she’s gone through, she’s obviously adapted far better than either of us would have. And we know Claire; we know she’d fight it if she didn’t think it was what she wanted. Besides,” his hand reached up and turned Ophelia’s head to face their daughter still perched on Jim’s shoulders, her hands having dropped to rest below his chin, “I haven’t seen her this happy in ages. Not since their play. You can’t tell me that Claire’s happiness isn’t a factor in all of this, hmm?”

Ophelia’s lips pouted into a frown, obviously trying to think of some rebuttal as her political mind sped through her options. But, for once in a very long time, Councilwoman Nunez found herself at a loss, her thoughts continuously springing back to Barbara’s words all those months ago, back when the world of trolls and the supernatural had been unveiled.

“I need to believe in my child,” Ophelia whispered, fighting the urge to duck her head to instead lock eyes with her wide-eyed daughter. “I need to believe in you, Claire. As you are, not as I want you to be. It… it’s going to take me a while, I won’t lie. But I’ll try, honey, I’ll really try- for you.”

Jim felt Claire’s intention before her fingers even twitched, shifting to compensate as she disappeared off his shoulders only to reappear in front of her mother, enveloping Ophelia in a tight hug. With only brief hesitation, Ophelia returned it and Javier joined in a second later.

“Not that this isn’t darling and all, and I’m glad Lady Claire didn’t destroy the entryway, but can someone please show me where I’m staying?” Merlin interjected, casting his eyes back to Barbara. “I’d like to be settled in order to perhaps figure a way so that your parents do not take notice to her… magical attributes.”

Barbara crossed her arms and raised a brow, her amusement palpable. “Well considering the dozens of babies staying upstairs in the guest room and Jim’s room, I’d say we’re at full capacity but I’m sure Nancy would be glad to have you across the street. I hear her and Dictatious are always happy to have company given how often Toby and Arrrgh are out.”

Merlin’s face twitched but the old wizard just sighed and trudged out the front door, likely heading across the street to the Domzalski residence. With him gone, Barbara uncrossed her arms and turned her eyes on her son, who seemed only to have eyes for Claire.

“Walter’s upstairs with Zelda and Junior if you want to see him, and if you want we can fix up the basement,” she said, voice tight in a way that had Jim’s ears perking and nose twitching. “I might’ve stretched the truth about how many kids we still have given how many have already been adopted or fostered.”

“Zelda?” Claire asked at the same time Jim choked out: “Junior?”

At that same time, Strickler came strolling down the stairs, a baby cradled in his stone arms. He froze at the sight of the visitors but smiled all the same, nodding in acknowledgement to Claire before glancing at Jim.

“Ah, Young Atlas, back to see your grandparents I see,” the former changeling said, a wry grin on his face. “I admit, I’m intrigued to see how you plan on masking your appearance for the week they’re here.”

Jim just snorted, gaze flickering to the child sleeping blissfully in his kinda-maybe-stepfather’s arms. “A better question would be what’s with Junior there.”

Strickler just walked closer to his former student, allowing the half-troll a full view of the babe’s face.

“Nomura put in a request that we watch over her familiar, hence Zelda sleeping upstairs in her crib. And this one-”

“Waltolomew,” Jim finished, eyes wide as he watched the brunette child sleep, the very same child he had seen in the Darklands what seemed like a lifetime ago. “I remember him. I found him in the nursery in the Darklands when looking for Enrique.” Jim raised an amused eyebrow to glance between his mother and Strickler. “So a baby brother and sister, huh? Can’t say I’ll be around that much, but I’ll visit so you two don’t go crazy.”

Strickler choked, nearly waking up baby Waltolomew in his arms, but Barbara just had a soft smile on her face, her gratitude shining through her eyes even without a word.

“Speaking of baby brothers,” Ophelia cut in, scrolling through her phone before landing on a photo and showing it to Claire, “yours are getting along well, even if NotEnrique keeps stealing all the socks.”

Claire smiled gently at the picture of Enrique, now almost two years old, curled up beside his sleeping ex-familiar, NotEnrique having settled protectively over the younger yet still larger being. Both were covered with a light blue blanket, and the two shared Suzy Snooze as they slept, their arms tangled together over the old bunny.

“I guess NotEnrique has no idea that picture was taken?”

Javier rolled his eyes just as Ophelia put away her phone, amusement on both their faces.

“Definitely not. Little troll would steal all the socks if-”

A loud crash interrupted him, causing the humans in the room to jump but Strickler and Jim just let out simultaneous growls before sniffing and freezing up just before the front door was blown off its hinges for probably the umpteenth time.

“Arrgh? Toby?!"

“Jim!”

“Jimbo!”

_"Not in the house!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can someone plz get dreamworks on the phone to change notenrique's name because i feel weird having claire's parents refer to him as such in context of interacting with their bio son
> 
> just a thought
> 
> edited 8-11-19: added a lil extra line of dialogue just cause it fit better here than in the next chap! thnx to DarkInuFan for the idea


End file.
